For those with Verizon FIOS getting lag while playing FF14 on the Canada Data Center

Hi All, This only applies to Verizon FIOS customers, I'm sure that some other interested person for Sky / TWC etc can do the same thing.

I have just finished my 15th phone call with Verizon and finally was able to get through to someone who would be willing to do something about the lag that FIOS customers have been experiencing.

If you truly want to do something about your lag and don't just want to complain on these forums (That Square clearly doesn't read/respond on), do this;

1, From your PC perform 3 traceroutes to your server (for example Excalibur is 199.91.189.38), see below if this is unfamiliar. Copy and paste them into a notepad.

*How to TraceRoute*
If you're unsure how to traceroute, do the following;

a) Press Windows Key + R
b) type "cmd" without the "'s and press enter
c) type "tracert 199.91.189.38" and press enter
d) copy the output by right clicking in the box and selecting mark, highlight all the text and press enter
e) paste this into a notepad
f) repeat c to e 2 more times

2, Call Verizon on 1800 837 4966 (number maybe different in your local area), when you get through to an agent tell them that you would like to report packet loss and to refer to ticket NYEG0C1439. Tell them that the SSC requested that you provide an additional report and you have the three traceroutes required.

That is all you can do at this stage. The SSC technician that I spoke with said that this is like an issue within the level3 network and the more reports that Verizon get of this the more pressure they can apply to level3 to address it.

Sorry PS3 people, you will need to get a laptop or a PC in order to do this.

I've been experiencing this issue particularly in duties. The way to get around this until Verizon gets their act together is to use an alternative route to the Canadian data center. For those not well versed in how the internet works on the packet level, changing your route is sort of like changing route that you use to drive from point A to point B to avoid a wreck that is causing a traffic jam. Using the different path might take a little longer than the regular path would, but you won't get caught in traffic. There are several ways to do this for PC users:

1. Use a service like battle ping.

Battle ping routes game traffic through servers in several locations throughout the United States. I use this method, and route my traffic through the Chicago BP servers. While this method increases my ping by 20 to 30 ms, it eliminates almost all lag. Remember that ping and lag are not the same.

2. Use a VPN

This is a little bit higher impact than something like battle ping, but the idea is roughly the same. VPN access can be purchased from a variety of services on the internet, or for free if you have a tech savvy friend who knows how to set up a VPN server.

3. Use static routing

This is an advanced technique that should not be messed with unless you absolutely know what you are doing. Static routing is also one of the only methods that can be used to fix this issue for PS3 users. It involves routing all of your internet traffic through an external router somewhere on the internet. I am not going to go into details on how to do this, as I don't think it is a good idea for networking novices to do this without understanding the process.

Demonocracy, Verizon isn't this efficient, I was just lucky enough to keep bothering them and reopening my ticket until I got someone who gave a crap AND knew what they were talking about. The more people that are on Verizon's back about this the better people, keep it visible because either Verizon does something or Square does something (or maybe both) but given Square attitude, they aren't likely to do anything anytime soon.

There's a really good program called 3D Traceroute. I've been using it to diagnose at which point in the path between me and the game servers there's an issue. It will perform a full ping/traceroute in whatever interval of time you want to do.

And yeah, there's a level3 router in Montreal that was giving me huge issues last night. Had to fire up WTFast for the first time since playing this game due to how bad the lag was. 3-15 second lag spikes in between abilities or 90000 errors.

This tool a guildy sent for Windows gathering packet loss and pings over time. This is what you are looking for. I can immediately see my issues. BTW - it isn't just Verizon having the issue. I have Comcast - I just end up near this level3 link just like everyone else.

Yeah, aware of WinMTR, 3D traceroute, another good one is pingplotter (http://www.pingplotter.com/). Good tools, but Verizon wants traceroutes.

Xianthe, I know that this impacts more than just FIOS customers, TWC, Sky, etc however I made this thread to try and get some movement behind Verizon getting in touch with level3 to ask them to sort their network out. I would hope that users of comcast start a similar type of thread to get some clear instructions to their subscribers on how to voice some weight behind it.

Bottom line is, if its not fixed people are going to unsub. I am giving it 5 more days, not being able to run CT, Coil basically means the game is pointless and I for one can't justify throwing away money every month on something that I can't use.

Its sad that Square has chosen not to do anything, or if they have they have chosen to not communicate to their users (even those that have approach them directly about the issue as I have).